Beauty Spotlight 26/05/13

The Pink Sith shows you that it's not a sin to love red lipstick especially when the lipstick is Lipstick Queen Sinner lipstick in Red!

Attention Tom Ford Cheek Color Fanatics- there is a new "Private Blend" to behold! Helen from Lola's Secret Beauty Blog discovered that Frantic Pink+Wicked=Passionate Pink! This union creates a stunning new must-have shade!

Cindy over at Prime Beauty shows you how to stay to cool and look fab at those pool/beach parties this summer with the new Make Up For Ever Summer 2013 Collection!

Win It!!! Enter Pammy Blogs Beauty's Conair Styling Tools Giveaway!

Beauty Info Zone finds that when MAC Cosmetics does something right, they do it right! See what makes Marcia so happy.

Visionary Beauty takes a departure from her natural shades and goes for the brights of the Dior Bird of Paradise Peacock Palette.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed goes ultra glam with her Bourjois Volumizer Ultra Black Mascara - come admire her lashes and see if you think the extra step is worth the results!

Is London Makeup Girl a Saint or a Sinner when she checks out Lipstick Queen's new shade, Fire Red?

15 Minute Beauty shares 12 common sunscreen mistakes and how to fix them!

Jessika is celebrating three years of polish insomniac with giveaways!  You can enter giveaway #1 here!

Perilously Pale has found her new summer pedi polish colour of choice in the OPI Couture de Minnie Collection. This is every pink and red lovers dream, and if you think you aren't a pink and red lover this collection will convert you into one!

Blog Sale inc. RBR, Chanel, MAC and Tom Ford

I've decided that it's time to part with more makeup. This has been the hardest clear out so far as I love many of these things but having so many similar items, I know it's not reasonable to hang on to it all.

As for my previous blog sales, all of the items I am selling have been purchased (or won) by me, I would never sell samples. There are a couple of items towards the end that are marked with an asterisk and these are items that can be added to a bundle but I don't feel it reasonable to sell them individually due to the postage costs. Now for the boring rules bit...

* Paypal only- I must receive payment within 24 hours or the item will be re-listed. Please check that your postal address is correct on Paypal as I will not be able to keep track of requests to post to a different address.

* Postage will be £3.70 and I will be sending packages 2nd Class Signed For as standard. The £3.70 covers small parcels up to a weight of 1kg, so postage is likely to remain the same for multiple items.

* UK only on this occasion, I'm afraid.

* I aim to post packages within 1-2 days of payment.

* No returns or refunds - I have included pictures to show usage and also given an estimate of how much product remains in each case. Please make sure you check swatches and reviews before going ahead with any purchase.

* Either leave me a comment below with the item(s) you are interested in and your Paypal address or email me at modestybrown@googlemail.com with BLOG SALE in the subject and your Paypal address in the email.

* I will invoice you from a different email address- DO NOT PAYPAL ME until you receive my invoice!

W3LL People Narcissist Foundation and Concealer Stick in #1 - £10
There's approximately 75% of the stick left. I have wound it all the way up to show how much there is inside the tube.

Tom Ford lipstick in Smoke Red - £15
Smoke Red is a discontinued colour and it's obviously the older white packaging. I've used this a few times and the TF is no longer visible on the bullet, but there's still a good amount of the lipstick remaining (approx 80-90%).

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick in Venetian Rose - £11
I have swatched and worn this once, so 95% remains. Comes with original packaging.

RBR Gloss in Secret Places of Love, 80% remaining - £5
RBR Cream Eyeshadow in Batiste Grayling, 80% remaining - £5 - SOLD
RBR Loose Glitter in Caress of Mink, 95% remaining - £13 - SOLD

MAC Lipgloss in Possum Nosed Pink - £5
Possum Nosed Pink was released with the Dame Edna collection. I've had it rather a long time but it's hardly been used and still has the distinctive vanilla scent. The sticker on the lid has lifted on one of the corners.

Inglot Lip Paint in 59, hardly used, 95% remaining. Comes with original box - £2

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Rude, 85-90% of the pan remaining - £6
Illamasqua Eyeshadow in Cancan, used 2-3x times, still has some hetch marks on the pan - £3

Ellis Faas Milky Lips in L207 - £7
It's tricky to estimate the usage in this case as I bought in used condition. I have used it 3-4 x.

MAC eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown, used 4-5x, 90% remaining - £5 - SOLD
MAC eyeshadow in Fig1, used 4-5 x, 90% remaining - £5

Ben Nye Eyeliner in Espresso used 3-4x, 85-90% remaining - £2

BECCA Pressed Shimmer Powder in original box, 95% left - £10

Ben Nye Dura Cover in DV-30 used 2x, 95% remaining - £2
Ben Nye Creme Foundation in Pure Ivory used 2x, 95% remaining - £2

Bundle of loose Shiro Eyeshadows  - £3
Includes the colours: Gengar, Gandorf, Golem, Mewtwo, Epona, Poliwarth and Master Sword. They have hardly been used and most colours have only been swatched.

*Nyx Lip Liner in Mauve, 85% remaining - £1

YSL Chromatics Palette in #3 - £15  SOLD
I have only used this palette a couple of times so 90-95% of the product remains. The pans look a little messy as the shadows can be used wet or dry. I have used a tissue to wipe over the surface of each pan.

Chanel Ombre d'Eau in Splash, 80-85% remaining - £10 - SOLD
*Topshop Crayon in Mystical, 90% remaining - £2 - SOLD

(Left) Ilia Beauty Lipstick in Crimson and Clover used 2-3x, 90-95% remaining - £13 - SOLD

Chanel Quadra in Topkapi - £20 - SOLD
Topkapi was a limited edition quad. I have used this palette 4-5 x, as you can see that the taupe has had the most use however, much of the quilting and C's remain on the pans. The palette is a little dusty from the eyeshadows. The palette comes with the protective guard and velvet pouch.

NARS duo in Grand Palais (on the left) used only 3-4x, 90 - 95% remaining - £15 - SOLD

Shiseido Cream Eyehshadow in Patina - £11 -SOLD
I have worn this 2/3 x so the majority of the pot remains. Comes with original packaging.

It's Lisa's turn to visit the Beauty Spotlight Desert Island

Beauty Info Zone's Lisa has way more fun than a blogger should picking her 12 items for a fantasy desert island experience...

Beauty Spotlight Roundup 12/05/13

Want to jump on the bandwagon but fail at nail art? polish insomniac shows you how easy it is with nail tattoos!

If a luxury nude pink lipstick makes your heart skip a beat…then Lola's Secret Beauty Blog urges you to look at By Terry Rouge Terribly Age-Defense Lipstick #100 Terribly Nude! It's stunning!

Got dull, dry, lifeless or problems with aging hair? Prime Beauty found her solution with Nexxus Youth Renewal Hair Care. You're welcome :)

What products are you loving lately? Pammy Blogs Beauty shares her Spring Favorite Beauty Products!

The Pink Sith has finally found a hair treatment that moisturizes, shines and de-frizzes her hair without the use of silicones. The miracle product is the Deep Moisture Hair Elixir from Luxury Lane Soap.

Beauty Info Zone can't help but be enchanted by the spring Lush products. Whether you need a treat for your mom, a grad or yourself, Lush knows how to do it right.

Fresh, Luminous and with a touch of gold and coral zest, lets have a taste of some of the Sisley California Soul Collection for this Spring/Summer with Visionary Beauty.

If Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed was a Bond Girl she would be Fluffy Falaise (which incidentally is also her porn name) - we're sure it will be included in the next OPI Bond Girl collection - until then admire the current sans-Lisamarie one!

Perilously Pale is excited to announce that she has been asked to be a Spokesperson for Almay! As part of Almay's Makeup Moments With Mom campaign, with Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson, they are giving away a trip to NYC and Makeovers for two so be sure to check it out and enter!

Want to know more about Paula from Older Girl Beauty? She was interviewed by Jamie at The Beauty of Life blog for her "First Look Fridays" series.

15 Minute Beauty found a great lip stain which she's obsessing over!

I'll name that taupe in...

Just a bit of fun as it's Friday. I've bought a new pretty and couldn't resist taking a group comparison shot. I wondered how many of these eyeshadows you eagle-eyed* taupe fiend could name without assistance?

There are no prizes for guessing correctly, just a sense of satisfaction. I'm also wondering how many of you are old enough to remember the game show I've misappropriated my title from?

* yes, I couldn't resist!

Firmoo Glasses Review

I have been in desperate need of a new pair of glasses for longer than I care to admit so when I was approached by Firmoo to review their glasses and the process of buying glasses online, I jumped at the opportunity. I hate shopping for glasses and finding a good frame shape for my face is always harder than it ought be: those of you that have been following my blog for a long time may remember the "Penfold" episode! I had been dabbling with the idea of going down the online purchasing route for a while, so Firmoo's offer sounded ideal.

Firmoo is an online optical store that ship worldwide. They have a reasonable number of frames to chose from and they are relatively inexpensive as glasses go. They have a first pair free program so if you're completely new to online glasses shopping, as I was, you can order a pair and only pay the shipping costs. The free glasses come with 1.50 index single vision lenses as standard.

The process of browsing and measuring up for buying glasses online made me realise there was an element of truth about what I'd been told at Specsavers. Glasses that are too wide across my face do not sit or look right and as each of glasses thumbnails also gave the recommended pupillary distance range, it was far easier to narrow my options. I found the virtual trying on tool useful too. Although it's not a perfect guide, as you will see for the #CP6061 frames, it definitely gave me a clearer idea of which shape to go for.

Top - #CP6061, Bottom - #CP6096

From the options I was given, I chose the frames #CP6061 ($46/£31.74) and #CP6096 ($39/£26.91). I've always wanted to have a pair of glasses with quite chunky frames but I've never found a shape that I was happy with. This seemed like the ideal opportunity to experiment with something a bit different.

The process of browsing and selecting the glasses was easy, as was inputting my prescription details. As with buying at an opticians, you are given a range of lens options including varying lens thickness and coatings, tints etc. at extra cost. What I did find tricky was measuring pupillary distance or PD. It isn't given as standard on your prescription in the UK and I wouldn't be surprised to find that opticians are reluctant to give you that information. I found a youtube video which I made my husband watch and asked him to measure for me. I did get an unfortunate case of the giggles whilst he was measuring which I'm certain professionals don't ever have to put up with!

The glasses arrived very quickly. Each pair comes in a fairly basic but sturdy case complete with cloth, and there was also a little pouch included with tools for adjustments. I immediately tried both pairs on when they arrived. I really like the shape of #CP6096 and would love a pair like this in lighter coloured frame, possibly tortoiseshell, as I think the black is a little too much on me. The depth of the #CP6061 is greater than I was anticipating from the virtual tool and I have likened myself to Mike Read in this pair! The shape also accentuates the natural wonkiness in my features. This is something I've come across with other frames in the past.

#CP6096

#CP6061 - AKA The 'Mike Read' Specs

Moving away from the frames, I have had some issues with the lenses. For reference, I am shortsighted and I do have to wear glasses all the time. When I put these glasses on, the lenses are absolutely fine for things that are near distance (so I'm generally fine around the house) but the perspective in the far distance is off and also when I look at the ground. I have a suspicion that this problem is a minor error in my PD which I've already mentioned was not measured by an optician. The PD measurements are in mm, and go up in increments of 0.5mm, so you can see how someone that is not professionally trained could easily make such an error.

For me, this has been a really interesting experience. I think if you're a confident about your prescription and PD, this could be a inexpensive way of experimenting with frame shapes or buying a second fun pair. It has given me useful ideas about frame shapes and potential colours but I'm not sure I would go the online route again because of my error with the lenses. I think the first pair free program is certainly an inexpensive way of seeing if online glasses shopping would work for you too.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I received the glasses free of charge in exchange for an honest review of glasses and online shopping process. I have not included affiliate links.

Polish Insomniac visit the Desert Island

This week is it polish insomniac's turn to be stranded on a desert island.  Will this lacquer obsessed lady have the common sense to leave the polish at home?  Let's find out!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

I recently mentioned in passing that I couldn't quite decide what to do about my hair. In typical me fashion, I made the absolute worst decision and decided to visit the the local walk in hairdressers. 'How much of a mess could they make of a little trim?', I thought to myself. Well, as they completely missed the fact that the lengths were asymmetrical, the answer was a very big mess, in just over five minutes. I never learn, do I?

A week on, and the cut looks a bit less severe. Unfortunately, the cut also turned my partially hidden unnatural colour in the longer lengths into a full on stripe. In order to make it look less obvious, I decided to colour it purple again, so I haven't had opportunity to try out my recently purchased bottle of Peacock Blue. On my bleached section, Hot Purple fades to a two toned blue-green which I really like and I'm hoping that Peacock Blue will cut out the middle-man. I had been considering bleaching more sections into my fringe but after taking pictures of myself today, I'm actually wondering if I should just cover the grey and the purple with a brown semi-permanent. Harumpf!!

On a more cheerful note, my hair is in excellent condition at the moment, including the side section that I doubled bleached for the Crazy Color. I have been using Alterna Caviar Repairx Instant Recovery Shampoo* and Phytobaume Hydration Express Conditioner together for a couple of months now and they make a really good pairing. I particularly like the fact that they leave my hair soft without it becoming greasy quickly, so I can still leave a day between washes.

I found the opening mechanism of the Caviar Repairx shampoo tricky to work and managed to pull the twist off cap right off on the second use. Oops! Fortunately, it's still water tight and works just fine despite the cosmetic damage. It foams well, rinses away easily and doesn't knot my hair up. It's sulfate and paraben free formula (however, it does contain silicones) and the formula reminds of the Pureology Shampoo I've used in the past. It is quite expensive at £33.50 for 250ml.

I'm very pleased that I picked up the Phytobaume on London MakeUp Girl's recommendation. I've found it a good substitute for the very lovely, but more expensive Rahua conditioner. It smells divine and reminds me of the creams they used to encourage you to slap on before hopping into the tanning booths (don't judge me to harshly, it was a long time ago). The Phytobaume conditioner is a really rich, cream conditioner and you don't need to leave it on for before rinsing. However, I rather like massaging it in and find it lathers slightly when I do this. It rinses from my hair without too much trouble but I do find it has a tendency to leave a slightly greasy residue in the bottom of the shower. It costs £13.50 and I bought this tube from SpaceNK but you can also buy Phyto from John Lewis and Feel Unique.

I had vowed to style my hair more often when I initially had it cut short. I haven't stuck to this as much as I meant to but before my most recent trim, it had been cut in such a way that it was easy to make it smooth or give it texture. I liked to mess it up by pulling out random sections and then running my straightners through these sections straight up from the roots. I'd finish off by breaking it up with a bit of Fudge Rocker Wax. The Rocker Wax has clearly been a hit with Mr MB too based on the speed it has started to disappear!

* Indicates press sample

SkinCeuticals Redness Neutralizer Review

I've been using the SkinCeuticals Redness Neutralizer every morning (not morning and night as recommended, which may be significant) for a full two months now and I thought it was time I report back. I had been hoping to see a major difference in the level of redness in my skin, particularly on my cheeks. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case. If there has been a reduction in redness it has been subtle and wouldn't be visible in before and after photographs

What I have noticed is a reduction in the intensity of my flushes. I still get them, but they don't feel as hot or aggressive as before. The acid test would really be to observe what happens after I drink a glass of red wine but I rarely drink red these days in order to avoid palpating cheeks and also because it tends to make me headachey. Typically, my cheeks would flush after only a few mouthfuls and one large glass would be sufficient to make me a purpled-red all the way across my cheeks to my ears and down to my jaw. It also has a tendency to spread down to my chest as well. I might have to indulge in a glass, simply in the interests of thorough research. It's a shame I couldn't hire a VISIA specifically to quantify the red wine effect!

The texture of the redness neutralizer is very nice. It has the feel of a light cream and absorbs readily. I apply it after cleansing and leave it to sink in a little before applying a moisturiser. I do find it to be hydrating and I don't need to apply as much moisturiser, in a similar way to when I use a serum.

Ingredients

Although I've been disappointed in the lack of dramatic results, I have continued to use it and I intend to carry on until the bottle is empty. This will probably take quite a while as a pump and a half is enough to cover my face. I think I've refused to stop using it just in case it has had more of an impact than I realise. I'm particularly interested to see if there's a sudden increase in skin redness after I've stopped using it and of course, I will report back if that is the case.

SkinCeuticals Redness Neutralizer costs around £70 for 50ml. You can find a list of authorised retailers here.

Disclosure: Press sample